Construction spending in July rises to four-year high

New national numbers released Tuesday show that
construction spending for the month of July was the highest it's been in four
years.

The uptick in construction spending means more people are
needed in the construction trades.

"I know the number of units I'm out wiring is more
than before," said CR Adams, who's been an electrician for seven
years. "New buildings going up, more constructions signs, more hardhat
sights around."

Brian Miller, executive director with the Home Builders
Association of Northern Kentucky, says many people didn't stay in the
construction industry after the housing market crashed and now that's having an
impact during this boom.

"We find that about 54% of builders,
remodelers and others in the trade are experiencing labor shortages," said
Miller. "Of those, about half of them are having difficulties of contract
signings and being able to complete a home on time."

Miller says the way things are trending, 5,500 skilled
labor workers are needed within the next five years in Boone County alone.

"If you're coming into the industry after all that,
you are really coming in at a good time because the market is on its way back
up, and the workforce has been depleted," Adams tells FOX19.

For more information about the programs offered at the
Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, visit: http://www.hbanky.com/

Here in the city that's home to "University-6," as the University of Louisville is identified in a federal criminal complaint filed by the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the feeling of devastation is exceeded only by anger and disbelief.

Here in the city that's home to "University-6," as the University of Louisville is identified in a federal criminal complaint filed by the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the feeling of devastation is exceeded only by anger and disbelief.